Subscribe to our Mailing Lists (It's free!)
Friday, May 23, 2025
SAFETY4SEA
  • Home
  • Safety
    • All
    • Accidents
    • Alerts
    • Loss Prevention
    • Maritime Health
    • Regulation
    • Safety
    • Seafarers
    • Security
    seafarer

    CMCF: 86% of employers report difficulty recruiting

    NTSB

    NTSB Investigation: Unattended helm leads to grounding

    containership Norway

    Norwegian man wakes up to grounded containership in his garden

    NCSR 12

    IMO NCSR 12: Key outcomes

  • SEAFiT
    • All
    • Intellectual
    • Mental
    • Physical
    • Social
    • Spiritual
    Book Review: Building leaders the MMMA way

    Book Review: How to avoid a climate disaster

    mental health

    MOL takes step to enhance the mental health of its crew

    Book Review: Building leaders the MMMA way

    Book Review: The Art Of War

    relax

    In the calm lies the cure: Exploring the parasympathetic nervous system

  • Green
    • All
    • Arctic
    • Ballast
    • Emissions
    • Fuels
    • Green Shipping
    • Pollution
    • Ship Recycling
    • Technology
    car carrier methanol

    World’s largest car carrier powered by methanol gets launched

    Pacific Environment

    Pacific Environment: IMO’s carbon levy is a progress but more steps are needed

    Dutch-Canadian deal sees the establishment of green corridor

    Dutch-Canadian deal sees the establishment of green corridor

    US energy

    IGU World LNG Report: LNG trade grew by 2.4% in 2024

  • Smart
    • All
    • Connectivity
    • Cyber Security
    • E-navigation
    • Energy Efficiency
    • Maritime Software
    • Smart
    cyber security

    CyberOwl raises alarm on phising and malware campaign

    Hong Kong

    Hong Kong launches smart port system for interconnectivity

    Port call optimization software gets nod by BV

    Port call optimization software gets nod by BV

    Cyberattacks

    Marlink: Stronger policy and user awareness against cyber threats

  • Risk
    • All
    • CIC
    • Detentions
    • Fines
    • PSC Focus
    • Vetting
    Malaysia

    Malaysia detains container ship for illegal anchoring

    estonia green retrofitting

    Estonia redirects maritime traffic following tanker detention by Russia

    PSC

    Black Sea MoU Annual Report: 4,587 inspections in 2024

    RISK4SEA unveils updated editions featuring worldwide data from the last 36M

    RISK4SEA unveils updated editions featuring worldwide data from the last 36M

  • Others
    • All
    • Diversity in shipping
    • Maritime Knowledge
    • Offshore
    • Ports
    • Shipping
    • Sustainability
    • Videos
    DCSA eBL

    Watch: Why is shipping adopting eBLs?

    Baltic Exchange

    Baltic Exchange: Maritime market highlights 19-23 May

    Trump tariffs

    Xeneta: How the tariffs truce impacts transpacific shipping

    ocean economy

    Sustainable ocean economy could create 51 million jobs by 2050

  • Columns
    bulk carrier

    Practical tips on the use of bulk carriers for transporting general cargo

    enclosed space

    IOMSR: Why urgent action is needed to improve enclosed space safety

    soft skills

    Soft skills training and development: Bridging the competency gap on the human element

    Trending Tags

    • Book Review
    • Career Paths
    • Human Performance
    • Industry Voices
    • Interviews
    • Maripedia
    • Maritime History
    • Regulatory Update
    • Resilience
    • Seafarers Stories
    • SeaSense
    • Training & Development
    • Wellness Corner
    • Wellness Tips
  • Events
  • Plus
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Safety
    • All
    • Accidents
    • Alerts
    • Loss Prevention
    • Maritime Health
    • Regulation
    • Safety
    • Seafarers
    • Security
    seafarer

    CMCF: 86% of employers report difficulty recruiting

    NTSB

    NTSB Investigation: Unattended helm leads to grounding

    containership Norway

    Norwegian man wakes up to grounded containership in his garden

    NCSR 12

    IMO NCSR 12: Key outcomes

  • SEAFiT
    • All
    • Intellectual
    • Mental
    • Physical
    • Social
    • Spiritual
    Book Review: Building leaders the MMMA way

    Book Review: How to avoid a climate disaster

    mental health

    MOL takes step to enhance the mental health of its crew

    Book Review: Building leaders the MMMA way

    Book Review: The Art Of War

    relax

    In the calm lies the cure: Exploring the parasympathetic nervous system

  • Green
    • All
    • Arctic
    • Ballast
    • Emissions
    • Fuels
    • Green Shipping
    • Pollution
    • Ship Recycling
    • Technology
    car carrier methanol

    World’s largest car carrier powered by methanol gets launched

    Pacific Environment

    Pacific Environment: IMO’s carbon levy is a progress but more steps are needed

    Dutch-Canadian deal sees the establishment of green corridor

    Dutch-Canadian deal sees the establishment of green corridor

    US energy

    IGU World LNG Report: LNG trade grew by 2.4% in 2024

  • Smart
    • All
    • Connectivity
    • Cyber Security
    • E-navigation
    • Energy Efficiency
    • Maritime Software
    • Smart
    cyber security

    CyberOwl raises alarm on phising and malware campaign

    Hong Kong

    Hong Kong launches smart port system for interconnectivity

    Port call optimization software gets nod by BV

    Port call optimization software gets nod by BV

    Cyberattacks

    Marlink: Stronger policy and user awareness against cyber threats

  • Risk
    • All
    • CIC
    • Detentions
    • Fines
    • PSC Focus
    • Vetting
    Malaysia

    Malaysia detains container ship for illegal anchoring

    estonia green retrofitting

    Estonia redirects maritime traffic following tanker detention by Russia

    PSC

    Black Sea MoU Annual Report: 4,587 inspections in 2024

    RISK4SEA unveils updated editions featuring worldwide data from the last 36M

    RISK4SEA unveils updated editions featuring worldwide data from the last 36M

  • Others
    • All
    • Diversity in shipping
    • Maritime Knowledge
    • Offshore
    • Ports
    • Shipping
    • Sustainability
    • Videos
    DCSA eBL

    Watch: Why is shipping adopting eBLs?

    Baltic Exchange

    Baltic Exchange: Maritime market highlights 19-23 May

    Trump tariffs

    Xeneta: How the tariffs truce impacts transpacific shipping

    ocean economy

    Sustainable ocean economy could create 51 million jobs by 2050

  • Columns
    bulk carrier

    Practical tips on the use of bulk carriers for transporting general cargo

    enclosed space

    IOMSR: Why urgent action is needed to improve enclosed space safety

    soft skills

    Soft skills training and development: Bridging the competency gap on the human element

    Trending Tags

    • Book Review
    • Career Paths
    • Human Performance
    • Industry Voices
    • Interviews
    • Maripedia
    • Maritime History
    • Regulatory Update
    • Resilience
    • Seafarers Stories
    • SeaSense
    • Training & Development
    • Wellness Corner
    • Wellness Tips
  • Events
  • Plus
No Result
View All Result
SAFETY4SEA

The Seafarers’ Charity: Women onboard cargo ships need support from port welfare services

by The Editorial Team
March 8, 2023
in Diversity in shipping
Maritime Speakers Bureau

Credit: Shutterstock

FacebookTwitterEmailLinkedin

The Seafarers’ Charity has released on March 8th (International Women’s Day), a report on the welfare needs of women working on cargo ships.

The research reveals women seafarers’ experience of exclusion, isolation and fear of sexual harassment and assault from their male colleagues. In their own words, the 30 women who contributed to the research, describe their experiences of discrimination and harassment from their male colleagues – both those in superior roles, as well as of the same status and subordinate.

Key issues identified within the report:

RelatedNews

CMCF: 86% of employers report difficulty recruiting

IGU World LNG Report: LNG trade grew by 2.4% in 2024

  • women seafarers’ concerns about their personal safety,
  • their feelings of fear and isolation
  • the fundamental lack of practical facilities to support menstruation.

The Port-Based Welfare Needs of Women Seafarers report by Professor Helen Sampson and Dr Iris Acejo at the Seafarers International Research Centre, Cardiff University was funded by The Seafarers’ Charity.

The research identifies that women working on cargo ships are likely to require more support from port welfare services because they suffer high levels of fear and loneliness while working in a male-dominated environment at sea. For these women, port welfare services can offer an escape from feeling isolated on board, as well as a friendly face and the potential for external support to address issues with male colleagues.

Women are in a minority on board cargo ships, but this shouldn’t mean their needs are ignored.

… said Deborah Layde, Chief Executive at The Seafarers’ Charity and Chair of Maritime UK’s Women in Maritime Network

While the minority status of women seafarers creates the context for many of the problems experienced, it also gives rise to a greater need for support of their welfare and personal safety. Unfortunately, it is regrettable that women’s minority status also contributes to their welfare needs remaining unmet within a sector predominantly focused on supporting the welfare needs of a male workforce.

Fear and Isolation

Women seafarers in this research face specific issues which cause them to feel alienated in a very male space where they feel they don’t belong. They are more fearful and more isolated than their male colleagues, resulting in greater feelings of stress. Underpinning these feelings is their fear of sexual harassment and concerns about their personal safety while working at sea. Such feelings caused women seafarers to exclude themselves from social activities on board to avoid the potential for gossip or the risk of harassment. The very act of self-isolation causes women seafarers to experience an even more solitary existence at sea and reveals a greater need for welfare support for women from outside of the immediate crew and management structure.

Personal Safety & Sexual Harassment

Of the 30 women seafarers interviewed for the research, the majority described incidents of sexual harassment at work. For many women seafarers, sexual harassment is relatively commonplace, and a potentially traumatising, event. Most frequently, harassment involved unwanted touching and kissing of women seafarers’ hands, faces, and private places. Senior officers, as well as colleagues of equal and subordinate status to women seafarers, were reported as carrying out such interactions. The research report shares many quotes from women who describe their experiences. For some women seafarers, their fear for their personal safety on board meant that they frequently rigged up second locks or alternative barring mechanisms on their cabin doors to block unwanted entry by male colleagues.

Sanitary Products and Disposal

None of the women interviewed for the research had access to an appropriate facility for the hygienic disposal of sanitary products on board cargo ships. The women typically packed and took on board, a supply of sanitary products for the duration of their employment contract at sea as they had limited opportunity to buy new supplies. This is an ongoing area of concern for women seafarers and was originally highlighted as a concern for women seafarers in research published by the International Labour Organization in 2003. This is clearly an important area where shipping has not made practical adjustments to support the needs of female seafarers. In addition, seafarer centres within ports have historically been resourced for the needs of male seafarers. Women taking part in the research suggested that they would like to see seafarer centres offering sanitary products for sale as well as disposal facilities.

Deborah Layde also stated that there are a huge number of initiatives to encourage and recruit more women into maritime, it is important that attention is paid on how to retain those women who have already joined the profession.

The Seafarers’ Charity, a significant funder of maritime welfare services, is now calling on its funded charities to consider increasing their support for women working at sea – especially those working in the male-dominated cargo sector.

In supporting and promoting the lessons learned from the research, The Seafarers’ Charity is now calling on the maritime welfare sector to be aware of, and engage with, the welfare needs of women seafarers to ensure they are not overlooked, and their safety is protected.

Key recommendations

  1. Port-welfare centres provide women seafarers with access to facilities for the bulk disposal of used sanitary products.
  2. Menstrual care products are made available to women seafarers either free of charge or on an ‘at cost’ basis. These should include disposable items such as sanitary towels and tampons but importantly they should also include re-usable items such as menstrual cups and period pants.
  3. Staffed centres remain in place as these provide women seafarers, in particular, with a muchneeded source of human interaction.
  4. Seafarers’ centres review material provision for women seafarers paying special attention to available clothing size and style, the subject matter of magazines and books, toiletries and skin care products and gifts and games.
  5. Seafarers’ centres do their utmost to attract a staff body (whether paid or unpaid) with a balanced gender profile.
  6. Charitable organisations consider the development of an app to facilitate chat facilities for women seafarers which includes access to general chat forums for women seafarers (only) alongside more specialised one-to-one chat services with appropriately qualified and experienced personnel.
  7. Seafarers’ centres review the facilities provided to seafarers and consider the degree to which they offer a balance between amenities that are generally more attractive to men and amenities that are more attractive to women.
  8. Information is provided to women seafarers about the support and facilities which are specifically targeted to their needs in port. This information should be taken on board by chaplains and ship visitors (in hard copy format) but should also be described on the websites of seafarers’ centres and welfare organisations

 

READ THE FULL REPORT HERE

 

The Seafarers’ Charity: Women onboard cargo ships need support from port welfare servicesThe Seafarers’ Charity: Women onboard cargo ships need support from port welfare services
The Seafarers’ Charity: Women onboard cargo ships need support from port welfare servicesThe Seafarers’ Charity: Women onboard cargo ships need support from port welfare services
Tags: diversityDiversity Equity Inclusion (DEI)Environmental Social Governance (ESG)reportsSeafarers Charitywomen in shipping
Previous Post

#EmbraceEquity for International Women’s Day

Next Post

IMO: Minimizing incidence and consequences of fires on board ro-ro passenger and cargo ships

Related News

shanghai port
Emissions

Study finds port emissions on the rise despite initiatives

May 23, 2025
Karin Orsel receives IMO Gender Equality Award
Diversity in shipping

Karin Orsel receives IMO Gender Equality Award

May 22, 2025
Safer Seas Digest
Accidents

NTSB: Safer Seas Digest 2024

May 22, 2025
Cyberattacks
Cyber Security

Marlink: Stronger policy and user awareness against cyber threats

May 21, 2025
cyber security
Cyber Security

USCG cyber security report finds improving landscape

May 21, 2025
alternative fuels
Fuels

ClassNK: LNG-fueled ships likely to remain the most popular

May 21, 2025

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Explore more

No Result
View All Result
MARITIME EVENTS

Explore

  • Safety
  • SEAFiT
  • Green
  • Smart
  • Risk
  • Others
  • SAFETY4SEA Events
  • SAFETY4SEA Plus Subscription

Useful Links

  • About
  • Disclaimer
  • Editorial Policies
  • Advertising
  • Content Marketing
  • Contact

© 2025 SAFETY4SEA

No Result
View All Result
  • Safety
    • Accidents
    • Alerts
    • Loss Prevention
    • Maritime Health
    • Regulation
    • Safety
    • Seafarers
    • Security
  • SEAFiT
    • Intellectual
    • Mental
    • Physical
    • Social
    • Spiritual
  • Green
    • Arctic
    • Ballast
    • Emissions
    • Fuels
    • Green Shipping
    • Pollution
    • Ship Recycling
    • Technology
  • Smart
    • Connectivity
    • Cyber Security
    • E-navigation
    • Energy Efficiency
    • Maritime Software
    • Smart
  • Risk
    • CIC
    • Detentions
    • Fines
    • PSC Case Studies
    • PSC Focus
    • Vetting
  • Others
    • Diversity in shipping
    • Maritime Knowledge
    • Offshore
    • Ports
    • Shipping
    • Sustainability
    • Videos
  • Columns
    • Book Review
    • Career Paths
    • Human Performance
    • Industry Voices
    • Interviews
    • Maripedia
    • Maritime History
    • Opinions
    • Regulatory Update
    • Resilience
    • Seafarers Stories
    • SeaSense
    • Tip of the day
    • Training & Development
    • Wellness Corner
    • Wellness Tips
  • SAFETY4SEA Events
  • SAFETY4SEA Plus Subscription

© 2025 SAFETY4SEA

Manage your privacy
We use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. We do this to improve browsing experience and to show (non-) personalized ads. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
Manage options
{title} {title} {title}
No Result
View All Result
  • Safety
    • Accidents
    • Alerts
    • Loss Prevention
    • Maritime Health
    • Regulation
    • Safety
    • Seafarers
    • Security
  • SEAFiT
    • Intellectual
    • Mental
    • Physical
    • Social
    • Spiritual
  • Green
    • Arctic
    • Ballast
    • Emissions
    • Fuels
    • Green Shipping
    • Pollution
    • Ship Recycling
    • Technology
  • Smart
    • Connectivity
    • Cyber Security
    • E-navigation
    • Energy Efficiency
    • Maritime Software
    • Smart
  • Risk
    • CIC
    • Detentions
    • Fines
    • PSC Case Studies
    • PSC Focus
    • Vetting
  • Others
    • Diversity in shipping
    • Maritime Knowledge
    • Offshore
    • Ports
    • Shipping
    • Sustainability
    • Videos
  • Columns
    • Book Review
    • Career Paths
    • Human Performance
    • Industry Voices
    • Interviews
    • Maripedia
    • Maritime History
    • Opinions
    • Regulatory Update
    • Resilience
    • Seafarers Stories
    • SeaSense
    • Tip of the day
    • Training & Development
    • Wellness Corner
    • Wellness Tips
  • SAFETY4SEA Events
  • SAFETY4SEA Plus Subscription

© 2025 SAFETY4SEA